Sly Profit Review

I was long overdue for a mask upgrade, and Sly's new Profit caught my eye, so I picked one up from Buy Milsim.

Product: Sly Profit Goggles

Price: $100 CDN (from Buy Milsim)

Options: Black, white, blue, red, grey, or ACU colouring. Amber, clear, gradient smoke or chrome lens colouring.

Specs:

• 3M thermal gasket lens system
• Velvet lined foam earpieces 
• Dual straps
• Soft jaw
• Includes hat box style container and velour bag

Pros: One thing I'll give Sly, they certainly know a lot about presentation. The Profit comes in a great looking hat box style container, and a supple velour drawstringed bag. When you first put the goggles on, it feels like the earpieces are giving your ears a velvety hug. The mask itself just looks and feels gorgeous when you wear it out of the box. On the field, the double straps gave a very secure fit. The soft jaw is very malleable and I already had one bounce off it the first day of play. Tear down and cleaning of the mask is a breeze, although the lens release buckles had me puzzled for a second. I thought that you required the use of a coin/screwdriver for it, but it turns out there's a handy little tool on each of the straps that can be used to release the buckles. The mask breathed very well, and I was comfortable throughout the day in it.

Cons: I really hate chin straps. I realize they're the new standard, and I can't really fault the Profit for this, but I just find them uncomfortable without major addition to the safety aspect of the mask. The velvet earpieces, while luxurious, dampen hearing a fair amount. On the field, this can make all the difference between hearing a would be attacker or being caught with your proverbial pants down. I couldn't be sure (because of my muffled hearing) but I suspected my voice was muffled as well. While providing more coverage than something like Dye i4s, I found the Profit a bit minimalistic around the jaw (mainly when I was talking) and forehead (took one hit there, but it was a glancing one). The lens packaged with the Profit seems like it would be great for speedball, but in the woods I found the gradient to distort my depth perception, making my navigation of uneven ground a bit more difficult than usual.

Shown next to Dye i4s for size comparison.

Overall: The Sly Profit is definitely sexy. I have to say that the performance of it has left me at odds though. While it is super comfortable and breathes well, it leaves your communication on the field significantly hampered. I believe that the $100 price tag is fair, but I'd recommend you try the Profit before buying it. And if you are a woodsball/milsim player I'd recommend getting an amber lens with it, as the smoke lens does not lend itself well to play other than speedball.